Nikon Announces Mirrorless J3, S1, 6.7-13mm CX, 10-100mm CX, and D5200

<p>For the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that begins tomorrow, January 8 and runs through January 11, Nikon is announcing two Nikon 1 mirrorless cameras, two new lenses, a new Coolpix S6500, and finally the D5200 is official for North America.</p>

<p>For of all, the D5200 was already announced for Europe and Asia last November. It has a 24MP DX sensor and a swivel LCD screen. However, I was in Hong Kong a month ago, and I looked all over the place and could not find one. In the US, the D5200 is:</p>

<ul>

<li>$899.95 with the 18-55mm DX AF-S VR kit lens</li>

<li>$799.95 body only</li>

</ul>

<p>Two Nikon 1 mirrorless bodies:</p>

<ul>

<li>J3: 14.2MP CX format sensor, $599.95 with the 10-30mm VR kit lens</li>

<li>S1: 10.1MP CX sensor, $499.95 with the 11-27.5mm kit lens, without VR. This is the new entry-level model, but some of the remaining J1 are still available new at a lower price.</li>

</ul>

<p>Mirrowless lenses (the "crop factor" is 2.7x for CX):</p>

<ul>

<li>6.7-13mm/f3.5-5.6: a wide zoom equivalent to 18-35mm for FX, $499.95</li>

<li>10-100mm/f4.5-5.6: This lens is different from the previous 10-100mm, which is a power zoom, i.e. the zoom function is controlled by a motor. The new lens has a traditional manual zoom ring, $549.95.</li>

</ul>

<p>Coolpix S6500: $219.95</p>

<p>Unfortunately, there is still no successor to the D300S or D7000.</p>

<p>Additional information from Nikon Japan's web site:</p>

<ul>

<li>J3 and S1: <a href="http://www.nikon.com/news/2013/0108_acil_01.htm">http://www.nikon.com/news/2013/0108_acil_01.htm</a></li>

<li>New Mirrorless CX lenses for Nikon 1: <a href="http://www.nikon.com/news/2013/0108_lens_02.htm">http://www.nikon.com/news/2013/0108_lens_02.htm</a></li>

<li>Coolpix S6500/S2700: <a href="http://www.nikon.com/news/2013/0108_cpx_03.htm">http://www.nikon.com/news/2013/0108_cpx_03.htm</a></li>

</ul>

<blockquote>

<p>Unfortunately, there is still no successor to the D300S or D7000.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>But the D5200 price point strongly indicates that there will be one for each: D7000 successor at $1200 and D300S successor at $1700.</p>

<p><grumble>Hmmphh... was hoping for a 13mm f/2 or faster. Guess I'll settle for the 18.5/1.8.</grumble></p>

<p>Hoping for more at the CP+ show later this month in Yokohama.</p>

After spending $$$ on a V1 system all I really want from Nikon is an upgrade of that stupid mode dial.

<p>I think Nikon is still slow in adding new lenses to the Nikon 1 mirrorless system. Lex, the 10mm/f2.8 is pretty good, but the 18.5mm is the only one that is faster than f2.</p>

<p>Of course Micro 4/3 has been around for much longer, but their lens selection is a lot more extensive than Nikon 1. I am also puzzled about the differences among the J1, J2, J3 and S1. The J1 is in deep discount, and even the V1 with the better 10-30mm VR is now cheaper than the S1. Until Nikon can move all the old models at fire sale prices, it will be difficult to sell the new ones.</p>

<p>And I am sure a lot of people have also figured out that prices will drop significantly if you are willing to wait 6 months to a year.</p>

<p>I will likely end up selling my D5100 and replacing with a d5200, but I want to read some user reviews and let the price settle first. I'm also going to decide if I'm going to stay with Nikon or not in the next six months. Products like the D600 and D800 just aren't for me.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

<p>[[s1: 10.1MP CX sensor, $499.95 with the 11-27.5mm kit lens, without VR. This is the new entry-level model]]</p>

<p>Because what a consumer moving from a point and shoot wants is a system without VR. ?? I don't understand this absurd cost-cutting measure. Canon has done the same with their point and shoots. Why differentiate models like this? It's like car companies giving a very slight discount to a vehicle because it only comes with 3 tires.</p>

<p>Suffice it to say neither Nikon or Canon "get" mirrorless. Panasonic, Olympus, Fuji and especially Sony are miles ahead. So far, Nikon's CES rollouts were mostly covered/leaked weeks before the show.</p>

<p>The Nikon 1 product line is pretty darn confusing.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>"...the 10mm/f2.8 is pretty good..."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Yup, that's the consensus among owners. Tempting but not enough faster than the 10-30mm at the 10mm f/3.5 base setting for my purposes. I have another P&S digicam with a zoom that's f/2.8 at the 28mm equivalent focal length and it's turned out to not be fast enough for many available light situations I encounter. And the pancake design isn't as much an advantage on the bulkier V1 as it might be with the J1/J2 and S1.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>"...what consumer moving from a point and shoot wants is a system without VR?"</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I'm inclined to say the same, but I also realize not everyone needs VR as much as I do. Personally I wouldn't buy another zoom, P&S or compact digicam without VR or some type of image stabilization. But I would have 10-20 years ago when my hands were steadier.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>"Suffice it to say neither Nikon or Canon "get" mirrorless."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Sorta agree. While I'm thoroughly satisfied with the V1, I knew what I was getting in advance, warts and all, and happily accepted it as a top notch, super fast P&S that just happened to offer interchangeable lenses. I still don't consider it a mirrorless system camera and the top Micro 4:3 makers are still way ahead in this game.</p>

<p>I still think Nikon's best shot at the CX format is to incorporate it pronto into the high end Coolpix lineup to compete with the Sony RX100. One with a fast midrange zoom. Save the slowpoke superzooms for the tiny sensor models.</p>

<p>Otherwise the J-series and S-series have a future as long as the street price with kit zoom is well south of $500, preferably closer to $300.</p>

<p>I'm doubtful about the future of the V-series unless Nikon incorporates the APS sensor. Do that and they'd have a viable rival to the Sony NEX.</p>

<p><em>"I'm doubtful about the future of the V-series unless Nikon incorporates the APS sensor. Do that and they'd have a viable rival to the Sony NEX."</em><br>

<em><br /></em>Sony rolled out the APS-C NEX platform in 2010 and never stopped developing it. To match--better still, surpass--Sony's current products, along with the probability of a FF NEX-type body soon, Nikon would have to make a huge leap into MILC territory with a DX and/or FX-based system. They've so far stumbled with their CX cameras.</p>

<p>[[i'm inclined to say the same, but I also realize not everyone needs VR as much as I do. Personally I wouldn't buy another zoom, P&S or compact digicam without VR or some type of image stabilization. But I would have 10-20 years ago when my hands were steadier.]]</p>

<p>20 years ago, was VR/IS technology as mature as it is now? Especially for smaller lenses? </p>

<p>To not include VR in the 1-series, for the explicit purpose of differentiating product lines, is simple accounting asshattery. Want VR in the 1-series? Spend $550 on the new 10-100 or buy a <strong>whole new camera</strong> just to get the 10-30. If that doesn't breed ill-will in your customers, I don't know what will.</p>

<p>Canon has gone this route in their EOS line by taking good, low-cost ($250-400), prime lenses and adding $500 to the price tag by simply including IS. (And then discontinuing the non-IS version). </p>

<p>These announcements tend to vindicate my recent decision to bail out of Nikon altogether and go down the M4/3 route. My recently acquired Olympus OM-D E-M5 has proven to be a more than adequate replacement for my D300 and D5100 in terms of image quality. The OM-D with Panasonic 14-45mm or 20mm lenses makes for an astonishingly light but capable walkabout combination. I considered the CX line, but decided that M4/3 was as small as I wanted to go whilst still maintaining a semblance of depth of field control using fast primes. Moreover, in-body image stabilisation allows both native primes and legacy lenses (with adapters) to benefit, unlike the CX range.</p>

The new standard zoom is smaller than

the VR version; Nikon simply responded

to criticism about the size of the original.

 

 

NEX zooms are quite big compared to

the size of the cameras; to make use of

the small size of the camera body you

have just the 16/2.8 which doesn't get

good reviews ... Sony seems to have

little interest in lens development. Micro

Four Thirds and Fuji have serious lens

lineups. Canon does not (yet). Nikon

seems to be working on it; add a short

tele prime with f/1.4 or faster and a

macro and things look brighter, but the

sensor is just too small IMHO.

 

If I were to buy a mirrorless camera, it

would likely be X-Pro1 or E-PL5 with 2-

3 primes.

<p>Canon aren't the only ones doubling the price with IS - the price difference between the non-VC 90mm f/2.8 Tamron macro (that I have) and the new one is pretty criminal. Of course, it may be better (perhaps in LoCA?), but I'm not unhappy with my original. I do have the OS version of the Sigma 150, but I wanted a portable substitute for my 200 f/2 (sort of), so I'll take the hit.<br />

<br />

The zoom on my V1 is a bit big for what it is (though at least it retracts), but then so's the rest of the camera. It's roughly the same size as my GF2 with the 14-42 power zoom. I have an F mount adaptor for the GF2; I don't intend to bother for the V1, nor am I likely to get more lenses unless I really struggle with range. The V1 was only of interest to me as a massively discounted (cheaper than most of my lenses) high speed specialist, though I could do without the weird aspect ratio at high frame rates - I'm not interested in the newer, pricier announcements in the 1 series, though the V2 is indubitably a better camera (DxO aside). I consider the crop factor too large to justify trying to use F mount lenses on one of these.<br />

<br />

I feel obliged to mention my employers (Samsung). Unfortunately, they lost me at "too deep a flange distance to allow me to mount Leica lenses", but reports of the system have otherwise been reasonably favourable, I believe.</p>

<p>As I have pointed out a few times, Nikon decided on the CX format to reduce lens size, but such a small sensor will forever has its disadvantages. I think the Nikon 1 system is optimized for consumers, and someone such as Lex who wants a small system would like it a lot.</p>

<p>In my case, even at the current fire sale prices, I still own no mirrorless cameras. I continue to find DSLRs serve me better. As far as I know the J1 is selling extremely well, but at a fraction of its initial price. I am not sure Nikon is making a lot of money from the J1 and mirrorless in general. IMO the CX sensor locks the Nikon 1 system to the consumer level. Whether that was a good decision will be debated for a while. I am afraid that it will be difficult for Nikon to introduce yet another incompatible mirrorless system with a larger sensor.</p>

<p>All Nikon can do with the 1 Series & CX is make/get better sensors for it and go a whole lot further in USER customizability, such as making the Smart Photo Selector USER selectable and giving it a much bigger RAM buffer for better continuous shooting etc.</p>

<p>Maybe the V3 will make progress, the V2 is almost no improvement on the V1......</p>

<p>[[The new standard zoom is smaller than the VR version; Nikon simply responded to criticism about the size of the original.]]</p>

<p>Ah yes, the "the users made us do it!" excuse. The forums, I see, are littered with 1-series owners typing from hospital beds due to throwing their backs out after using the overweight, hyper-extended 10-30mm VR. ;) </p>

<p>The change, from 1.7 to 1.22 inches (42mm to 31mm) does not actually make the camera more pocket-able or portable. On a f/3.5-5.6 lens, the loss of VR is more significant than the length difference, doubly-so for anyone shooting movies with the camera. (Which I understand is popular with the kids these days.)</p>

<p>"Responding to criticism" is a red-herring, IMHO.</p>

 

<p>The inability to use my Leica lenses on the small Nikon cameras is for me a fatal flaw.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

<blockquote>

<p>"I think the Nikon 1 system is optimized for consumers, and someone such as Lex who wants a small system would like it a lot."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Yup. The V1 has many of the strengths of the D2H in a much smaller, lighter package. Fast, accurate AF. Better IQ, regardless of resolution. Quick shutter release with a great feel. More accurate metering, particularly in matrix metering with strong backlighting. Unfortunately it lacks the shot-to-shot speed of the D2H (including if pressure is released from the shutter button in continuous mode), but that's a minor quirk. I don't often shoot more than two or three consecutive frames, even with the D2H.</p>

<p>But I'm probably not the typical Nikonista. I've always had a fondness for quirky cameras so it takes a lot to really turn me off if the camera has enough good stuff to offset the quirks. I think there's a niche for the Nikon 1 series as an instant cult classic among serious, experienced photographers who are willing to accept a few compromises for the overall price:performance - at least at the discounted prices.</p>

<p>Whether that translates to a viable market for the Nikon 1 series remains to be seen. But recall the early stumbles Olympus experienced with their first mirrorless Micro 4:3, from which they recovered and carved out a respectable niche.</p>

<p>In my opinion, Nikon is heading in the right direction with the J-series and, presumably, the S. The V-series... not so sure. Personally I think they could continue building on the original V1 chassis by:</p>

<ul>

<li>Changing the mode dial to a SPAM dial.</li>

<li>Adding a front forefinger dial for aperture control.</li>

<li>Modifying the zoom toggle to a 4-way toggle to double as a shutter speed control.</li>

<li>Making the F button a true, user customizable Function button (like Ricoh does).</li>

<li>Burying the cute stuff in the menu.</li>

<li>Making the movie shutter release button default to standard HD aspect ratios regardless of how the mode dial is set.</li>

<li>Or just copy everything Ricoh does in control design for the GRD.</li>

</ul>

<p>Pretty minor mods for an existing chassis. Seems it could be done cost effectively without undercutting the V2.</p>

<p>Nikon seems to be taking this incremental approach to the J-series. Might work on the V1 chassis too.</p>

 

<p>I don't think 'why is the new S1 packaged without a VR lens?' is the right question to ask, Rob. There are plenty of reasons - some of them good ones.</p>

<p>I think the right question is why the lens even exists. If I'm not mistaken, it's a power zoom lens, right? Which is usually only beneficial to video users? Those people practically <em>need</em> VR. I'm not sure why the lens was even designed in the first place. Unless I'm wrong about the power zoom.</p>

<p>Very disappointing :-(</p>

<p>Very disappointing :-(</p>